It's a leading cause of death in women and the most common cancer in women other than skin cancer. This year, 2.6 million American women are living with breast cancer, more than 178,000 women will be diagnosed and more than 43,000 will die. It is the second leading cause of cancer death. And we still don't know how to prevent it or cure it. Early and accurate diagnosis remains a challenge. The current standard relies on physical examination, mammography and/or ultrasound, and fine needle aspiration. Screening is the most important way to find breast cancer early. To do this, the American Cancer Society recommends that a woman have a: Yearly mammogram for women 40 and over Clinical breast exam (CBE) yearly for women 40 and over (every 3 years prior to age 40) Breast self-examination (BSE) every month (for women over 20) These screening criteria are set up because the most common sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass. A lump that is painless, hard, and has irregular edges is more likely to be cancer. It's important to have anything unusual checked by your doctor. Other signs of breast cancer include the following: A lump in the underarm area A swelling of part of the breast Skin irritation or dimpling Nipple pain or the nipple turning inward A nipple discharge other than breast milk Redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin If breast cancer is found early, prompt treatment could save your life.
		PET can show whether or not a lump in the breast is benign or malignant. PET may prove to be a very useful addition to mammography. For 70% of all women with suspicious mammograms, the expense and trauma of a breast biopsy for their final diagnosis may be unnecessary because of PET! PET accurately stages axillary and mammary lymph node involvement. Axillary lymph node dissection is currently a routine part of breast surgery, since it is the only way doctors who don't know about PET have of staging breast cancer. A complication of this procedure can be restricted movement of the arm, stiffness, swelling and pain. In the future, a PET scan may make this procedure unnecessary for patients who show no lymph node involvement. PET detects distant metastasis resulting in more accurate treatment. PET evaluates response to therapy. Treatment can be altered, if necessary, for better results. PET shows recurrent disease. Finding recurrent cancer early prolongs your life and increases your chances of beating the disease.